About Schubert

The Schubert Electorate is located approximately 55 km north of Adelaide and encompasses an area of approximately 5,000 square kilometres and consists of around 25,000 constituents. The Schubert electorate encompasses the Barossa Valley; rural townships to the east of the Barossa including Sedan and Cambrai; stretches as far as the River Murray at Mannum; and also includes the northern parts of the Adelaide Hills. The main population centres include Nuriootpa, Angaston, Tanunda, Gumeracha, Birdwood, Mannum and Mount Torrens.

Previously named Custance, the electorate name was changed to Schubert in 1997, after Max Schubert (1915-94), who was a pioneer winemaker famous for creating the Grange Hermitage. He is attributed as the person responsible for the creation of Australia’s world class new generation wines, especially dry reds.

The major industries that can be found in the Schubert electorate include wine, food agriculture and tourism.

There are four local government areas within the Schubert Electorate. The Barossa Council is the electorate’s main council district, with the Light Regional Council, Adelaide Hills Council an Mid Murray Council districts forming a part of the Schubert Electorate.

The Barossa Valley is Australia’s most famous wine region and is home to some of the oldest vines in the world – being disease free and never subject to vine pulls. Aside from wine, the Barossa also has to offer many gourmet and fine dining restaurants, local food outlets, art galleries, and hosts many festivals and events throughout the year. The bi-annual Vintage Festival brings the community together to celebrate the vibrant wine culture that is the Barossa – the Vintage Festival parade, along with performances, markets and dinners mark the occasion and allow locals and visitors alike to share in the celebrations. The Barossa Valley is very appealing to tourists due to the many activities on offer, along with the beautiful scenery of rolling hills and manicured vineyards.

Mannum is a historic town, with an active boating tradition and is widely considered to be the birthplace of the Murray Paddle steamer. There are many local attractions to see and enjoy at Mannum – many visitors visit the town for a short holiday - to enjoy boating and skiing or a more leisurely ride on a houseboat; or for those interested in South Australia’s river history there are many museums and historical sites to see. The beauty of this town was recently put on display to the world, when the town successfully hosted the start of one of the stages of the Tour Down Under Race for 2008.

Apart from the beautiful hill scenery, and many boutique wineries, restaurants, local markets with fresh produce and bushwalking opportunities there are many unique things to see and do in the northern part of the Adelaide Hills. Mount Torrens has a rich history, which is demonstrated as many of the buildings in the town feature predominately in the State Heritage Area. The Gold Battery is a unique piece of history that still remains in Mount Torrens, but unfortunately is not regularly open to visitors.

At the 20 March 2010 election, the electoral boundaries changed and Schubert lost part of the Adelaide Hills - Birdwood and Gumeracha - and gained Freeling and Greenock.

Freeling is a very productive and fertile region, with a strong agricultural history. Freeling is currently experiencing strong growth, with many young families choosing to settle in the area.